Comparison

VOR Simulator Pro vs CheckPrep

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

VOR Simulator Pro

Master radio navigation with this VOR simulator. Practice realistic dual VOR positioning and authentic navigation features like To/From indicators and Cone of Confusion effects. Ideal for pilots and aviation enthusiasts to hone skills on the ground.

Highlights
  • Dual VOR positioning practice
  • To/From indicators
  • Cone of Confusion effects
  • Radial interception
  • HSI or CDI displays
  • Three aircraft models
Features
Read full description

Master radio navigation with this comprehensive VOR simulator. Perfect for pilots and aviation enthusiasts wanting to practice VOR skills on the ground. Practice realistic dual VOR positioning to fix your location on the map. Experience authentic navigation features including To/From indicators, Cone of Confusion effects, and radial interception. Choose between HSI or CDI displays and toggle between three detailed aircraft: King Air, Cessna 172, or Piper Cherokee. This simulator reproduces VOR signal behavior, needle deflection, and station passage, allowing you to develop and maintain your navigation proficiency anywhere, anytime - no actual aircraft required. Great for students working on their private pilot or instrument rating.

About

CheckPrep

Prepare for your pilot checkride oral exams with this app. It's structured around the FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS) and includes searchable regulations, adaptive quizzes, and real-world scenario trainers. Track your progress and know when you're ready.

Highlights
  • FAA ACS structured study
  • Searchable FAR, AIM, and FAA documents
  • Offline study and bookmarking
  • Adaptive flashcards and quizzes
  • METAR, TAF, and PIREP interpretation
  • ATC clearance trainers
  • Progress tracking (0-100%)
Features
Read full description

Purpose-built for pilots who refuse to leave their checkride to chance. CheckPrep is a checkride oral prep app for the Private, Instrument, Commercial and Commercial Multi Add-On practical tests, built around the FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS), the exact framework your DPE uses to evaluate you. This is not written test prep. This is oral prep. STUDY THE WAY YOUR DPE TESTS YOU Every question, answer and reference is organized by ACS Area of Operation and Task, the same structure your examiner follows. Every card maps to an ACS task, so every minute of study maps to your oral exam. THE FAA LIBRARY, FREE FOR EVERY USER Full FAR, AIM, Advisory Circulars, the ACS documents themselves, FAA letters of interpretation, InFOs and the FAA handbooks: PHAK, AFH, Instrument Flying, Instrument Procedures, Aviation Weather, Risk Management, Weight & Balance, Chart Users' Guide and the AMT handbooks. Tap a citation on a study card to open the exact paragraph, page or ACS element. Bookmark passages, search by keyword, read offline after download. AIM paragraphs also open on the FAA website, so you never have to wonder whether it is current. KNOW WHEN YOU'RE READY Mastery is tracked from 0 to 100% for every ACS task. Flash cards and multiple-choice quizzes are built from the same cards. Switch on the Needs Review filter to limit a session to the cards you still miss and leave the mastered ones out. When every task reads 100%, you know where you stand before the examiner does. DECODE REAL-WORLD WEATHER METAR, TAF and PIREP decoding practice with live data from aviationweather.gov. Included free. TRAIN YOUR EAR Departure (CRAFT) and approach (P-TAC) clearance trainers read the clearance aloud. You give the readback by voice. Beta, included with the Instrument guide. BUILT FOR YOUR CERTIFICATE Start with the free Private Pilot Sample: four complete ACS tasks with flash cards, quizzes and tappable citations. The full Private, Instrument, Commercial and Commercial Multi Add-On guides are one-time purchases, no subscription. Aircraft-specific add-on guides for the Cessna 172SP, Cirrus SR20 G7, Cirrus SR22 G6 and Diamond DA42 NG, each cited to the aircraft's own POH, AFM and PIM. Six themes. Offline-first. Study history and bookmarks sync across your devices through iCloud. Lightweight. No ads. No account required. No tracking. Walk into the oral knowing you have worked every ACS task. That is what CheckPrep is for. CheckPrep is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the FAA. All regulatory content comes from official FAA publications.

Screenshots

VOR Simulator Pro4 screens
CheckPrep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: VOR Simulator Pro at none against CheckPrep's 6. VOR Simulator Pro also leads on ratings volume (19 vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.2). CheckPrep's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. CheckPrep sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. VOR Simulator Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CheckPrep holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VOR Simulator Pro ships an update every 2 months, CheckPrep every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
VOR Simulator Pro versus CheckPrep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVOR Simulator ProCheckPrep
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (19 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings19 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size169 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPilot InstituteRobert Rousey

Customer experience

VOR Simulator Pro

All ratings15 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

CheckPrep

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

VOR Simulator Pro

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

CheckPrep

One-time6
  • Cessna 172SP Content$19.99
  • Cirrus SR20 G7+ Content$19.99
  • Diamond DA42 NG Content$19.99
Show 3 more
  • Commercial Multi Add-On Package$59.99
  • Commercial Package$59.99
  • Instrument Package$59.99

Questions

Is VOR Simulator Pro free?
VOR Simulator Pro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CheckPrep free?
CheckPrep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, VOR Simulator Pro or CheckPrep?
CheckPrep is rated higher. VOR Simulator Pro averages 4.6 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while CheckPrep averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do VOR Simulator Pro or CheckPrep have ads?
Neither VOR Simulator Pro nor CheckPrep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VOR Simulator Pro or CheckPrep?
VOR Simulator Pro ships an update every 2 months, and CheckPrep every 3 days. Most recently, VOR Simulator Pro was updated on October 20, 2026 and CheckPrep on October 15, 2026.

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